'Roadrunner' official state song? South Shore reps say 'Dream On'

Supporters of establishing “Roadrunner” by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers as the official rock song of Massachusetts now officially have a formidable challenger on their hands.

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By STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

southcoasttoday.com

By STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

Posted Feb. 25, 2013 at 2:39 PM
Updated Feb 25, 2013 at 5:21 PM

By STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

Posted Feb. 25, 2013 at 2:39 PM
Updated Feb 25, 2013 at 5:21 PM

» Social News

Supporters of establishing “Roadrunner” by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers as the official rock song of Massachusetts now officially have a formidable challenger on their hands.

Duxbury Democrat Rep. Josh Cutler and Marshfield Democrat Rep. James Cantwell today filed legislation that would bestow the official rock song status on a tune that's got a larger popular following than “Roadrunner,” “Dream On” by Aerosmith.

The reps said that Rolling Stone magazine lists “Dream On” among its 500 greatest songs of all time. Cutler calls it a “classic ballad that's all about holding on to your dreams and seizing opportunity.” Added Cantwell, “With all due respect, Aerosmith is the best-selling American rock band of all time. No band is more closely associated with Massachusetts.”

The Aerosmith classic is also getting a lift through its inclusion in the trailer for “Argo,” which won the best picture Oscar Sunday night.

In a Feb. 24 article, Laura Barton of The Guardian said she'd learned about the recent push behind “Roadrunner” through tweets and Facebook messages she'd received about a bill sponsored by Dorchester Democrat Rep. Marty Walsh.

Barton wrote an article in 2007 as a tribute to the song and speculated that she might head to Massachusetts for a “victory lap” should Walsh's bill become law. “In reality this song is nothing more than a tribute to the joys of driving on Route 128 at night in a Plymouth Roadrunner, driving past the Howard Johnson restaurants and the Stop 'n' Shop grocery, driving alone, for driving's sake, with only the radio on for company. In essence, however, Roadrunner is more than that: a song about what it means to feel young, and free, and charged by the world. It's a song about how glorious it feels to be alive.”